March 5, 2018
Technology and Your Thesis or Dissertation Supplemental Materials Submission
Portable Document Format (pdf) All thesis and dissertation materials must be submitted in pdf format. pdf files can be created with a variety of programs, including word processors (e.g. Microsoft Word) and full versions of pdf editors (e.g. Adobe Acrobat). MU’s computer labs feature the full versions of both Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat. There are also a number of free word processors and pdf editors available for students without access to proprietary software such as Word or Acrobat. Multimedia file formats Multimedia files may also be included with your research paper on the disk. Only certain file formats are…
March 5, 2018
Supplemental Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Materials
Multimedia files Multimedia files may be included with your research file, and submitted by uploading to Canvas along with the research file. Alternatively, they can be submitted to our office on a CD. Only the following formats are acceptable for multimedia files: Images: GIF (.gif), JPEG (.jpg), pdf (.pdf), TIFF (.tif) Video: Apple Quicktime (.mov), Microsoft Audio Video Interleaved (.avi), MPEG (.mpg or .mpeg) Audio: AIF (.aif), CD-DA, CD-ROM/XA, MIDI (.midi), MPEG-2, SND (.snd), WAV (.wav)…
March 5, 2018
Body Format for Thesis or Dissertation
General Formatting Information Save as: “research.pdf” Students are to follow the style manual recommended by their academic program. Margins: Left Margin – 1.5 inches; Top, Bottom, and Right Margins – 1 inch Line Spacing: All standard text should be double-spaced. References, bibliographic works, and endnotes should be consistent with the formatting standards of your selected style manual. Headings: Chapter headings and subheads should be consistent throughout the research paper. Page Numbers: The pages preceding the main body of the thesis/dissertation should use Roman numerals (ii, iii, iv, etc.) for page numbers. Standard Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) should…
March 5, 2018
Electronic Dissertation and Thesis Basics
The master’s degree student When required for a master’s program, a thesis must be written on a subject approved by the student’s thesis committee. It must be the student’s own work and must demonstrate a capacity for research and independent thought. In addition to these guidelines, master’s students should also consult: Thesis process Academic process for master’s students The doctoral degree candidate A dissertation is required for all doctoral programs and must be written on a subject approved by the candidate’s program committee. The dissertation must include the results of original and significant investigation, and must be the…
March 5, 2018
Graduate Student Progress
Satisfactory progress The progress of each graduate student is evaluated annually by the student’s advisor and/or director of graduate studies. The definition of satisfactory progress and procedures for its verification may vary among departments/programs. If a department/program has instituted guidelines that differ from those applying generally to graduate students, these guidelines should be made available to students from their entrance into the graduate degree program. If a student is authorized to diverge from progress guidelines established by either the department/program or the Graduate School, this fact should be documented in written form and endorsed by the student’s advisor and DGS. Progress toward…
March 5, 2018
Probation & Termination Policies for Graduate Students
Probation Departmental or program probation may occur at any time during a student’s work toward a graduate degree. All graduate departments/programs are required to formulate their own academic standing policies, establishing a tailored framework aligned with the unique characteristics of their respective graduate programs, while adhering to the fundamental principles outlined by the Graduate School. These guidelines should be made available to students from their entrance into the graduate degree program. If a student is authorized to diverge from progress…
March 5, 2018
Annual Review of Graduate Student Progress
The Graduate School requires all master’s, educational specialist and doctoral students to submit an annual report of academic progress. At a minimum, graduate students should report on their academic progress, completion of required forms, awards and honors, conferences, presentations, publications, service activities, creative activities, funding activities, employment and job placement. Academic program faculty or administrators may require additional indicators of performance or achievement to accommodate the needs of their programs. Graduate student should contact their academic program for information regarding the annual review process. Note: MyVita is now the annual review progress system for doctoral students.
March 5, 2018
Appealing Graduate Assistantship Evaluation or Termination
A student with a graduate assistantship may appeal a decision regarding an assistantship in the following circumstances: Unfair dismissal. Prejudiced or capricious academic program evaluation. Equity issues in assistantship compensation or duties. If you are a graduate student and believe one of the above situations applies to you, you may begin the appeals process. Step 1: Work toward a resolution. First attempt to resolve the matter with the faculty/staff member or appropriate administrative leader of the school, college or unit responsible for your assistantship. Step 2: File a written appeal within your unit. If your attempt at resolution is unsuccessful,…
March 5, 2018
Fellowship and Assistantship Acceptance Deadline
The University of Missouri is a signatory to the Council of Graduate Schools’ April 15 Resolution regarding the offering and acceptance of financial aid. Specifically, students are under no obligation to respond to offers of financial support for the coming academic year before April 15. When a student accepts an offer before this date and subsequently desires to withdraw that acceptance, the student may submit in writing a resignation of the appointment at any time. However, an acceptance given or left in force after April 15 commits the student not to accept another offer of financial support until they…
March 5, 2018
Doctoral Student Academic Progress
Doctoral Student Academic Progress A doctoral student must successfully complete the comprehensive examination within a period of five years beginning with the first semester of enrollment as a PhD student. In addition, the program for the doctoral degree must be completed within five years of passing the comprehensive examination. Individual departments or area programs may stipulate a shorter time period. For an extension of this time the student must petition the Graduate School by submitting a request to the advisor who, in turn, submits a written recommendation to the Graduate School which has been endorsed by the department or area program…